Electrical connector



June 8, 1954 J. D. HOFFMAN ETAL ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Jan. 22, 1951 Mm 2 MMO 6 TFH M O e A 1 4n 1 s o G E a. awmwvm H \m a. 6, a a. s 1k. C (I q l Q W 3 r 6 z a ATTORNEY Patented June 8, 1954 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Joseph D. Hoffman, Kirkwood, and Eugene E. Holke, Rock Hill, Mo., assignors to James R. Kearney Corporation, St. Louis, Me., a corporation of Missouri Application January 22, 1951, Serial No. 207,182

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to connectors, and more specifically to connectors of the type adapted for use in the construction, maintenance, and repair 01 electrical distribution systems for mechanically and electrically connecting electri cal conductors, leads, drop wires, ground wires, etc. to power lines and other electrical conductive elements, the predominant object of the invention being to provide an electrical connector of this type which is of extremely simple and inexpensive construction and arrangement and which is capable of performing its intended function in an improved and highly efficient manner.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved connector of this invention shown in association with a pair of conductor portions but before final application of the connector to the conductors.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the connector and conductor assembly shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the connector after it has been finally applied to the conductor portions.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the connector and conductors shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional-elevational view taken on line 6--5 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a bracketed, exploded perspective view showing the two members of the improved connector before assembly thereof for use.

In the drawing, wherein is shown for purposes of illustration, merely, one embodiment of the invention, A designates the improved connector generally. The connector A includes a plug member i which, as is shown to good advantage in Fig. 3, is of substantially inverted u shaped formation, said plug member having an arcuate bridge portion ta from which are extended a pair of substantially parallel spaced legs lb, and the bottom face of said bridge portion being shaped to provide a wire seat 2. The outer faces of the legs Eb may be serrated, as indicated at 3, or otherwise roughened, in order that they will function in a manner to be hereinafter explained.

The connector A includes, also, a socket member 4 which comprises an annular side wall 5 having diametrically disposed recesses 5 formed in said annular wall, said recesses being open at the top edge of the annular side wall 5 of the socket mem her 4 and having closed lower ends. The socket member 4 is provided with. a diametral wall '1 whose top face is curved downwardly, as is shown to good advantage in Fig. 3, so as to provide a wire seat 8, said diametral wall preferably being an integral part of the socket member and a portion thereof which is provided with a curved lower edge, being extended beneath the lower edge of the annular Wall 5 of the socket member. It is important to note that the Wire seat 8 at the top of the diametral wall is alined horizontally with the lower, closed ends of the recesses 6 and that said wire seat 8 is alined vertically with the wire seat 2 of the plug member I.

The curved, lower edge of the diametral Wall 7 has fixed thereto a connecting element 9 which serves to connect. the plug member I and the socket member 4 together before and while the connector A is applied to conductors for connecting said conductors together. This connecting element comprises a piece of thin resilient metal, steel, for instance, which preferably is riveted to the lower edge of the diametral wall of the connector, as indicated at 9, by deforming edge portions of said piece of metal so as to cause said deformed portions to adhere to the lower edge of the diainetral wall. Legs lb of the plug member i are provided at their lower inner faces with notches i ii, and when the plug member and t1 e socket member are forced inwardly with respect to each other to the proper degree, opposed edge portions of the connecting element 9 will snap into the grooves m (Fig. 3) so as to connect said plug member and said socket member together.

In describing the use of the improved connector of this invention it will be assumed that a lead or ground conductor Ca is to be connected to an endless conductor C, an overhead power line, for instance. Under such circumstances the plug member 5 and the socket member 4 are pulled apart, the edge portions of the connecting element 9 snapping out the grooves ill readily on application of sufficient force, and the inverted U-shaped plug member is placed over the conductor C with the wire seat 2 thereof contacting with an upper surface portion of the conductor. The socket member is then moved upwardly on the legs of the plug member, said legs being extended through the spaces within the socket mem her at opposite sides of the diametral wall I thereof, and edge portions of the connecting element 9 eventually snapping into the grooves it of the legs of the plug member so as to again connect the plug member and the socket member together. A suitable hand-operated pressure device, hydraulic or otherwise, is then applied to the connector and said pressure device is operated to subject the connector to such pressure that the connector is deformed and its parts are forced into intimate engagement with each other so as to produce, what is in efiect, a one-piece unitary body which intimately engages the connected conductors. Thus, the conductors are very securely connected together mechanically and electrically which is the ultimate purpose of the invention. It is obvious that when conductors having free end portions are to be connected with the aid of the improved connector the plug member and the socket member need not be pulled apart, as explained above, and portions of the conductors being passed into the space between the wire seats 2 and t after which the connector is compressed on the conductors as previously explained herein.

The purpose of the teeth 3 on the outer portions of the legs lb of the plug member i is to insure extremely tight engagement betweensaid plug member and the socket member t after compression of the connector, this situation resulting from the fact that the teeth will bite into the material of the socket member when said socket member is deformed during the compression operation and is forced into close contact-with the plug member.

We claim:

1. An electrical connector comprising a substantially U-shaped plug member having a pair of substantially parallel legs provided with irreg ular surface portions, a s cket member provided with spaces through which the legs of said plug member extend, said plug member and said socket member being adapted for embracing disposition with respect to a plurality of elements to be connected by the connector and adapted to be compressed and deformed with respect to each other and with respect to the elements being connected so as to securely connect said elements together, and means for preliminarily attaching said plug member and said socket member together, said means comprising an element formed of spring material having edge portions which engage the leg portions of said plug member.

2. An electrical connector comprising a substantially U-shaped plug member having a pair of substantially parallel legs provided with irregular surface portions, a socket member provided with spaces through which the legs of said plug member extend, said plug member and said socket member being adapted for embracing disposition with respect to a plurality of elements to be connected. by the connector and adapted to be compressed and deformed with respect to each. other and with respect to the elements being connected so as to securely connect said elements together, and means for preliminarily attaching said plug member and said socket member together, said means comprising an element formed of spring material having edge portions which engage the leg portions of said plug member by extending into notches formed in said leg portions.

3. An electrical connector comprising a substantially U-shaped plug member having a pair of substantially parallel legs provided with irregular surface portions, a socket member provided with spaces through which the legs of said plug member extend, said plug member and said socket member being adapted for embracing disposition with respect to a plurality of elements to be connected by the connector and adapted to be compressed and deformed with respect to each other and with respect to the elements being connected so as to securely connect said elements together, and means for preliminarily attaching said plug member and said socket member together, said means comprising an element formed of spring material having opposed edge portions which engage the leg portions of said plug member by extending into notches formed in said leg portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 468,293 Coleman Feb. 2, 1892 1,948,838 Bash Feb. 27, 1934 1,987,127 Rice Jan. 8, 1935 2,006,794 Davidson July 2, 1935 2,432,636 Van Fleet Dec. 16, 1947 

